The fourth installment of the “Africa’s Business Heroes” (ABH) prize competition is well underway on a quest to identify and spotlight African entrepreneur heroes who are actively creating an impact in their communities.
African business heroes stand a chance to win:
- A share of $1.5 million – there are 10 cash prizes to be won.
- Access to world-class mentorship and training.
- Networking opportunities with leading businesspeople.
- Televised media exposure across the continent.
To help all you entrepreneurs enter the competition, the SA Innovation Summit hosted an Application Support Workshop on the 4th of May 2022. Here is a breakdown of how the application workshop can help you position yourself to respond effectively in your application and pitch.
Highlights from the workshop
Buntu Majaja, CEO of the SA Innovation Summit pointed out the following to take note of:
- Only one founder may go through the program.
- The applicant must be of African origin and the business should be registered as well as operating within an African country.
- Records of revenue for three years should be available.
- The application does not need to be completed in one go.
- It is available in French as well as English.
- All compulsory questions should be answered.
- The deadline for applications is the 6th of June 2022.
Buntu went on to add the following approach to the process:
Overall principles to observe when approaching the application:
- Alignment with ABH Values- tone, language, and positioning.
- Be consistent in having a single key narrative throughout the application and provide examples as much as possible.
- Make it personal – tell a story of who you are and let the readers get to know you and get a sense of who you are.
- Remember to create a link between your founder and business profile. First impressions count.
- Clearly articulate the problem you are addressing, the solution you are providing, and the strong evidence that customers are buying into the solution.
- Writing the application is a journey. Leverage your network to get good feedback on your application.
- All values of Revenue should be reflected in dollars.
- Describe your plan for the next three years using measurable statistics and in great detail.
Missed the Application Workshop? Please watch the full video recording below:
For more information and to apply, please visit the ABH website here
Do you know any thriving African entrepreneur who could benefit from this competition? Please let them know that our next application workshop will take place on the 26th of May 2022.
To register to attend the application workshop, please sign up using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvde2vqzorGNUfmDt8F6kw3Jt6NNi7WK_Q
